6 ms·

Dr Gillespie added, "I don't think we'll see a time when oxytocin is used socially as an alternative to alcohol. But it is a fascinating neurochemical and

by qrybam 11y ago

Dr Gillespie added, "I don't think we'll see a time when oxytocin is used socially as an alternative to alcohol. But it is a fascinating neurochemical and, away from matters of the heart, has a possible use in treatment of psychological and psychiatric conditions. Alcohol being the great social lubricant with some nasty side effects on your health - definitely feels like it could be disrupted by a "safer" oxytocin based product. Has a similar feeling to vaping vs smoking. I would imagine a dose of oxytocin would produce a different concentration pattern of the hormone in your body versus normal/natural production - are there any known studies of long term effects of Oxytocin usage?

cel1ne 11y ago
There is a better product / drug already: It's called GHB, is endogenous to the body, has similar effects like alcohol, but is less toxic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- snsr 11y ago
  This is probably a good place to point out that GHB is not, in fact, completely safe. It can easily kill you when combined with other depressants, particularly alcohol. It's also physically addictive, and the associated withdrawal can be fatal. It's also been used as a 'date rape' drug due to the fact that relatively small doses can cause a 'coma'. https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ghb/ghb_health.shtml https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ghb/ghb_health.shtml https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid#Adverse_effects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid#Adve...
  - stickfigure 11y ago
    All of which would be true of alcohol if it was primarily consumed at 200 proof. I didn't hear the parent claim that GHB was completely safe. There is plenty of evidence, however, that it is safer and less toxic than ethanol.
- tP5n 11y ago
  This is not true: GHB is addictive, very hard to dose and in combination with the most used 'night life' drug (alcohol) actually toxic and lethal in small doses. It's also known as the 'date rape drug' for this very reason.
  - jjbiotech 11y ago
    > actually toxic and lethal in small doses Yeah I'm going to call bullshit on that unless you provide a source. The interesting thing about GHB is that it is less toxic in higher doses, but I've never read that it's lethal in low doses.
    - tP5n 11y ago
      My source is me having found two victims of GHB poising in the gutter, quite literally. The girl had previous (voluntary) experience with the drug and managed to lock herself in the toilet before passing out. I found her with with several bruises over her face after we broke down the door. The guy was beaten, robbed and left in a bush and that's were we found him. Because I served both their drinks over the night I knew they didn't consume 'too much' alcohol, the girl claimed she could tell the GHB from both the smell(?) of her drink and effect it had on her.
- cubano 11y ago
  Yes, until the whole room full of people are unconscious due to ingesting a few ml's too much of it.
- pierrec 11y ago
  You should at least explain why you might want to say that: yes, GHB has fewer chronic effects on health (or possibly none). In that sense it's "better" than alcohol, assuming all users dose it correctly. This is, for example, why GHB has been successfully used to fight insomnia. However, life-threatening acute toxicity is easier to accidentally attain than with alcohol, because of the lower active dose and absence of harsh digestive reactions like alcohol tends to cause before acute poisoning. This makes alcohol compatible with reckless party settings, where GHB would become very dangerous. Concerning the addiction potential, comparing GHB and alcohol is like comparing two genocides of two types of plagues: they both suck. As for the whole 'date rape' argument, it really shows an excessive media demonization based on a few isolated cases, as opposed to the non-stop global catastrophe of date rapes caused by alcohol. I suppose nobody talks about those because, well, "it's nothing out of the ordinary".
- _98fj 11y ago
  Addendum: I didn't mean to claim that GHB was in any way safer. As far as I know, it's therapeutic index is similar to the one of alcohol.
dozzie 11y ago
> Alcohol being the great social lubricant with some nasty side effects on your health - definitely feels like it could be disrupted by a "safer" oxytocin based product. Has a similar feeling to vaping vs smoking. Except it doesn't work that way. People didn't give up smoking in favour of vaping, they do both. Smokers still smoke cigarettes, even though they use e-cigarettes. About the only larger group that uses e-cigarettes instead of traditional tobacco is teenagers, since they can't legally buy tobacco.
- Lewton 11y ago
  Is this based on some stats? Because it does not gel with my anecdata. Most vapers I know are full on vapers. If they smoke cigarettes it's only because their battery has run out.
- pluma 11y ago
  Based on my entirely anecdotal evidence: * I know one smoker who also vapes * I know one smoker who switched to vaping before going back to smoking because he found it hard to limit his vaping (because number of cigarettes is easier to measure) * I know several vapers who either don't smoke or gave up smoking in favour of vaping * I know several smokers who aren't interested in vaping None of them is younger than 25.
  - comrh 11y ago
    > I know one smoker who switched to vaping before going back to smoking because he found it hard to limit his vaping (because number of cigarettes is easier to measure) This was my problem. Went to vaping to quit and ended up making the addiction worse because it is really easy to mindless puff away. I've seen newer models with USB that you can limit the number a draws on though so that might be a good option.
    - pluma 11y ago
      His problem was that he kept pulling out the vaporizer for a few quick puffs, which added up to a lot more than the extended smoking sessions cigarettes require.

by qrybam 11y ago

cel1ne 11y ago

There is a better product / drug already: It's called GHB, is endogenous to the body, has similar effects like alcohol, but is less toxic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
snsr 11y ago
This is probably a good place to point out that GHB is not, in fact, completely safe. It can easily kill you when combined with other depressants, particularly alcohol. It's also physically addictive, and the associated withdrawal can be fatal. It's also been used as a 'date rape' drug due to the fact that relatively small doses can cause a 'coma'. https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ghb/ghb_health.shtml https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ghb/ghb_health.shtml https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid#Adverse_effects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid#Adve...
- stickfigure 11y ago
  All of which would be true of alcohol if it was primarily consumed at 200 proof. I didn't hear the parent claim that GHB was completely safe. There is plenty of evidence, however, that it is safer and less toxic than ethanol.
tP5n 11y ago
This is not true: GHB is addictive, very hard to dose and in combination with the most used 'night life' drug (alcohol) actually toxic and lethal in small doses. It's also known as the 'date rape drug' for this very reason.
- jjbiotech 11y ago
  > actually toxic and lethal in small doses Yeah I'm going to call bullshit on that unless you provide a source. The interesting thing about GHB is that it is less toxic in higher doses, but I've never read that it's lethal in low doses.
  - tP5n 11y ago
    My source is me having found two victims of GHB poising in the gutter, quite literally. The girl had previous (voluntary) experience with the drug and managed to lock herself in the toilet before passing out. I found her with with several bruises over her face after we broke down the door. The guy was beaten, robbed and left in a bush and that's were we found him. Because I served both their drinks over the night I knew they didn't consume 'too much' alcohol, the girl claimed she could tell the GHB from both the smell(?) of her drink and effect it had on her.
cubano 11y ago
Yes, until the whole room full of people are unconscious due to ingesting a few ml's too much of it.
pierrec 11y ago
You should at least explain why you might want to say that: yes, GHB has fewer chronic effects on health (or possibly none). In that sense it's "better" than alcohol, assuming all users dose it correctly. This is, for example, why GHB has been successfully used to fight insomnia. However, life-threatening acute toxicity is easier to accidentally attain than with alcohol, because of the lower active dose and absence of harsh digestive reactions like alcohol tends to cause before acute poisoning. This makes alcohol compatible with reckless party settings, where GHB would become very dangerous. Concerning the addiction potential, comparing GHB and alcohol is like comparing two genocides of two types of plagues: they both suck. As for the whole 'date rape' argument, it really shows an excessive media demonization based on a few isolated cases, as opposed to the non-stop global catastrophe of date rapes caused by alcohol. I suppose nobody talks about those because, well, "it's nothing out of the ordinary".
_98fj 11y ago
Addendum: I didn't mean to claim that GHB was in any way safer. As far as I know, it's therapeutic index is similar to the one of alcohol.

dozzie 11y ago

> Alcohol being the great social lubricant with some nasty side effects on your health - definitely feels like it could be disrupted by a "safer" oxytocin based product. Has a similar feeling to vaping vs smoking. Except it doesn't work that way. People didn't give up smoking in favour of vaping, they do both. Smokers still smoke cigarettes, even though they use e-cigarettes. About the only larger group that uses e-cigarettes instead of traditional tobacco is teenagers, since they can't legally buy tobacco.

Lewton 11y ago
Is this based on some stats? Because it does not gel with my anecdata. Most vapers I know are full on vapers. If they smoke cigarettes it's only because their battery has run out.
pluma 11y ago
Based on my entirely anecdotal evidence: * I know one smoker who also vapes * I know one smoker who switched to vaping before going back to smoking because he found it hard to limit his vaping (because number of cigarettes is easier to measure) * I know several vapers who either don't smoke or gave up smoking in favour of vaping * I know several smokers who aren't interested in vaping None of them is younger than 25.
- comrh 11y ago
  > I know one smoker who switched to vaping before going back to smoking because he found it hard to limit his vaping (because number of cigarettes is easier to measure) This was my problem. Went to vaping to quit and ended up making the addiction worse because it is really easy to mindless puff away. I've seen newer models with USB that you can limit the number a draws on though so that might be a good option.
  - pluma 11y ago
    His problem was that he kept pulling out the vaporizer for a few quick puffs, which added up to a lot more than the extended smoking sessions cigarettes require.